A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to attend the annual workshop presented by The Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies
(FEEFHS). It was the first workshop that I have attended specifically tailored to my area of interest. All I can say is "why did I wait so long?" This workshop was amazing and for the first time in my life, I was surrounded by enthusiastic genealogy buffs who had surnames as weird as mine! That in itself was a revelation! The workshop had classes in the morning and then we were free to research at the Family History Library until we were kicked out when they closed! As part of the workshop, each participant met with a consultant who could help them search their particular country of interest. I was so excited to have a consultant who used to live in Lithuania, understood my challenges AND happened to live in the same town as me! The same town thing was a huge bonus! I now have two Lithuanians (there may be more, I don't know about) living in my town who can help me with translation whenever I happen to find something that won't translate in Google Translate!
Since Lithuania and much of Europe's boundaries have changed over and over during the last century, we had some great history lessons. It was amazing to watch as countries changed, dissolved, renamed themselves something else, got conquered, etc. I quickly learned that the way to work on genealogy in eastern Europe is to know the history. I also learned that real estate and eastern European history have something in common... "Location, Location, Location! For real estate you want to
buy in a good location. For eastern European genealogy, you have to
know the location of your ancestors. Unfortunately, I only have Lithuania listed on records that I have found. So, I need to search deeper and cover everyone associated with the family. Sooner or later, someone is bound to list where they are from on a record (at least that is the hope!).
I also learned that I need to learn a little Russian, at least enough to recognize main record titles. There are some great Russian language tutorials on line at
FamilySearch.org. You can also Google Russian language, Russian alphabet, Russian genealogy, etc. You get the idea.
All in all, I had a blast at this workshop and am already planning for next year! Hopefully, I will be able to impress Professor Thom Edlund with my Russian skills! Actually, he is the master so I probably won't impress, but I can at least make a brave attempt at it this year!
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FamilySearch is pleased to announce the first four Tree Share certified applications that are PAF compatible: Ancestral Quest, Celebrating Family History and Me, Legacy Family Tree, and RootsMagic . RootsMagic is the first Tree Share Plus certified application. TenGenChart is now Tree Access certified. “Certified” means the product is compatible with FamilySearch.org and has features that conform to our strict standards of quality.
or Tree Access (tree read only) indicates that FamilySearch Family Tree data can be read from the partner’s application.
or Tree Connect (tree read and writing of sources) indicates that you can attach references about your ancestors to records, images, stories, and other media found on the internet. These attached sources of evidence can be viewed by anyone using FamilySearch Family Tree.
or Tree Share (full tree read and write) indicates that the partner’s product can reconcile tree data with FamilySearch.
or Tree Share Plus has the features of Tree Share and FamilySearch collaborative features including Discussions, Sources, and Change History.
certified. Ancestral Quest is the easy-to-use, full-featured family tree program that received the “Most Comprehensive Syncing” award from FamilySearch. The Windows versions of PAF were created from an earlier version of Ancestral Quest, so PAF users will feel right at home using the screens, reports, and other functions. Ancestral QuestQ includes scores of new features not found in PAF, such as its Ordinance Reservation and Tracking System, which helps users keep their personal data in sync with temple records. Whether you are a PAF user looking for an upgrade, or a new user getting started, Ancestral Quest is the ideal program to help you organize your family tree.
certified application. Legacy Family Tree is the FREE genealogy software to organize, research, and publish your family’s tree. Use Legacy to print maps, get research suggestions, collaborate with other family members, cite your sources, publish books and shareable CDs, and do much more. Legacy makes it easy to work with FamilySearch and will measure your progress against the goals you set for temple work. Easily import from PAF and other programs. Get started today by downloading Legacy for free.
certified applications. Winner of the FamilySearch award for “Easiest to Sync,” RootsMagic 6 genealogy software makes working with new FamilySearch a breeze, including reserving ordinances and creating temple trips. Import directly from PAF, new FamilySearch.org, and other programs. Take advantage of other features, such as running RootsMagic directly from a USB drive, SourceWizard, integrated web search, creating Shareable CDs, and much more. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced genealogist, RootsMagic makes family history easy.
certified. With one click, FamilySearch users are able to create circular 10 generation pedigree charts for themselves or family members. The site also permits users to upload GEDCOM 5 files to seed the chart. Easy to use, TenGenChart is always free and creates huge 4 6x 36-inch charts.
The diamond mark indicates products that were previously certified for new.familysearch.org.
The check mark indicates products that are now certified for FamilySearch.org Family Tree.
